Peace's Blog

How do you spell relief!

Peace — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 20:45:16 -0700

Tax cuts in the land that loves taxes more than.... well more than anything! I must be dreaming!

More than Hedley loves to gross out people... More than Gore loves to talk about the poor drowning polar bears... More than Dorothy loves Toto! Yes Canadian politicians love to tax their constituents!

But believe it or not...once again the Conservative Government in Ottawa has done what no Canadian voter expects from their Government - they kept another promise. AND... imagine this newbies... they reduced both income taxes AND scheduled a gst reduction for Jan 1 2008. A reduction of 16.7% in the gst rate.

Unaccustomed as we are with... common sense politics in Ottawa, those of us born in time to live through the huge deficit building Liberal years from 1967 onward (one of Trudeau's legacies) it is incredible that we can actually begin to believe that taxes can be reduced - yes newbies - don't be afraid - the sky is not falling and the wheels won't come off - its just a tax cut - oither countries have them, and now we have a Government that knows the truth - we can have them too!

Despite the opposition parties whining and complaining last time the gst was cut - guess what? Canadians like those cuts - they really like them Sally! Polls suggest we like tax cuts much more than we like opposition politicians!

But a whole generation of voter was starting to believe the lie - that tax cuts were extinct - due to global warming caused by unstoppable hot air from Ottawa.

So hey... Mr. Layton and Mr Dion, you both came out with lame criticism today, aren't you just showing how out of touch you are with what over taxed Canadians really want? You said that there will be no real benefit - Mr. Layton, you said the tax cuts were going to open up the gap between rich and poor... ( holy cow can someone get that guy some new lines? Anyone?)

But even Don Drummond, chief economist for TD Bank, said the GST cut will have a direct and immediate impact on Canadians. And besides - there was also an increase to the personal excemption amount which was long overdue but which successive Liberal governments were unwilling to acknowledge... and the personal excemption is increasing again in Jan 2009 which really helps low income families and single income earners.

Just the facts Ma'am... now here they are:

An increase in the basic personal amount exemption to $9,600 from $8,929, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2007;

Two years later, on Jan. 1, 2009, the basic personal amount exemption will be increased to $10,100;

Reducing small business income tax to 11 per cent by 2008;

$10 billion in federal debt relief; (thanks Pierre - we are still dealing with this... )

The lowest personal income tax rate moves back to 15 per cent from 15.5 per cent, effective Jan. 1 2007, - it shouldn't have been raised last time - so they went back and cleaned up their mistake - how rare for politicians. Well at least previous governments.

The government will also cut corporate tax rates by one percentage point in 2008 with cuts each year of one percentage point, bringing corporate tax rates down to 15 per cent by 2012 from 22 per cent today.

Canada's corporate taxes will be the lowest among major industrialized nations which means more investment in Canada - and more Canadians working and earning.

And that is the point of the exercise. Isn't it?

Stop the Insanity!

Peace — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 13:29:46 -0700

The British Government, in court for requiring Gore's movie to be shown in schools, has found that their own expert witness has admitted under oath that the retreating glacier on Kilimanjaro is not evidence of man-made climate change.

Also admitted in court was the fact that the Ice cover in the Antarctica is not melting, it is in fact increasing. The claim that rising sea levels caused the evacuation of Pacific islanders was shown to be a false one.

The Gore-proposed theory that global warming could stop the Gulf stream and plunge Europe into a new ice age was shown to be a scientific impossibility.

Canadians - wake up - stop buying into Gore's agenda. Never have so many, been so convinced, by so little factual data...

If you care, demand results...

Peace — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 13:02:16 -0800

Here is an interesting article I found on-line on how Gov't works - or does not work. If we care, we need to demand results in whatever area we are concerned about.

(Note: Your comments are always welcome - but remember, I didn't write this)

Liberalism's 'dirty secret' no secret at all

Okay, maybe I'm dreaming, but surely at some point when enough tax dollars have been wasted so-called average Canadians have to take on the big-government poseurs who dominate debate in this country.

This week, Thomas Axworthy -- co-chair of the Liberal renewal commission and, more importantly, a Pierre Trudeau big-government advocate -- let the cat out of the bag. In his report released on the eve of the party's convention, Axworthy declared that, "Liberalism's dirty secret (and it is not so secret these days) is that government doesn't seem to work well much of the time." From Kyoto to the gun registry, billions of dollars have been wasted on programs that achieved very meager results.

This was the same observation made by the top bureaucrats in the country, who in 2002 made clear that the federal cabinet regularly approved spending that they knew in advance didn't produce the desired results. As then-deputy minister of finance Kevin Lynch stated, "There are still too many policies that simply don't work."

But the evidence is clear -- few Canadians, and even fewer big-government advocates, seem to care. Just this week, Auditor-General Sheila Fraser released her latest report confirming that the federal government employs "no comprehensive or systemic review to assess the effectiveness or relevance of ongoing programs." There are no demands made upon departments or agencies to provide data on their performance in order to assess how well they've spent their money. New programs are piled onto old ones without a systematic review to assess their effectiveness or redundancy.

While I agree with Axworthy's findings and salute his candour, he glosses over the real dirty little secret of the centre-left. It goes far deeper than a wilful disregard for our hard-earned tax dollars. What the evidence makes clear is that despite their protestations to the contrary, they care far more about looking good than they do for the people or causes they promote. As Axworthy found, it's difficult to imagine a policy area under Jean Chretien or Paul Martin that wasn't heavy on the sizzle and light on the steak.

Martin himself summed it up beautifully when he referred to Canada's foreign policy initiatives as the product of "empty moralizing."

It reminds me of a time a few years ago when, after I had written a couple of columns critical of the massive waste in the gun registry, a woman approached me and asked why I didn't favour gun control. I responded by asking her why she didn't. After all, if she really cared shouldn't she demand results instead of photo-ops.

That holds true for every policy area. If you care about the poverty on native reserves, then why not demand results. The same goes for health care, education, the environment, economic development or any number of areas. But instead, political considerations continue to take centre stage.

Axworthy encourages Liberals to change their ways and "be interested in results, not promises."

I say good luck, and offer the same advise to the Conservatives.

No matter who is in government, nothing's going to change until a majority of Canadians sit up, take notice and demand measurable results. Until we do, you can bet a good portion of the $229 billion the feds will collect this year will be wasted needlessly.

Michael Campbell

AIDS funding announced

Peace — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:49:09 -0800

This morning the Federal Government announced some significant funding for combating AIDS in Africa - here is the news story:

International Co-operation Minister Josee Verner made the announcement in Montreal on Friday, World AIDS Day, answering impatient activists and health experts who have waited for the past three months for an announcement.

The government also pledged to contribute $450 million over the next 10 years to support country-led AIDS efforts in Africa.

Verner said the government is determined to play an important role in combating the global pandemic, and wants to help build better health systems to ensure Africans have access to the services they require. Mozambique, for example, will receive $10 million in support of its National AIDS council.

O Canada

Peace — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 09:21:26 -0700

Every year the Canadian Government spends our taxes finding out what people around the world think of us. For 20 years it has not changed.

We are thought of as honest, trustworthy, reliable, friendly -good people. In fact "Canadian" is one of the most attractive brands in the world. But do we have a clear picture of ourselves? Perhaps we think of ice hockey, natural resources, and as the promotion we provided for the world at the Torino Olympics, ice fishing...

Here are some facts that might surprise...

Canada made the list of "Top 10 Entrepreneurial Nations" for each of the last 10 years - and we are the only nation to make that list for 10 consecutive years.

The World Bank rates Canada as 4th on the list of "Easiest place to do business by foreign interests"

The UN has determined that Canada is the frontrunner for incoming investment.

Canada is one of the most "wired" places on the planet today.

In addition, it has been determined that we have the best infrastructure in the world from a business perspective - #1.

Canada has the #5 most competitive economy in the world, and estimates are that we will continue to lead the world in competitiveness right through 2009.

We are way beyond touques and maple syrup.

So now that we have an accurate view of our resources - how should we use them?

Today over 40 million people are living with AIDS... Canada has the resources to take the offensive against AIDS. It is in our power to halt this epidemic in our lifetime.

If Canadians agree that this must be done, and decide to make it happen now, it can be accomplished. It will require people, ideas, and resources focused on the task.

O Canada, it can be done.

Can I see one?

Peace — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 20:04:09 -0700

Do you wonder why the AIDS epidemic is called the worst epidemic in the history of mankind? Can you grasp the implications of these mind-numbing numbers from the United Nations Report on AIDS dated Dec 2005?

Children that died from AIDS in 2005 - 570,000

Women living with AIDS today - 17,500,000

Number newly infected in 2005 - 4,900,000 - over 500 per hour

Number died since 1981 when AIDS was first identified - 25,000,000

But it is not the millions but the one that is the tragedy - my one teacher, my one nurse, my one father, my one sister, my one best friend - or me.

How else can we put a human face on a faceless tyrant, a hidden enemy? And until we see ONE... we will not act.

Please help me see one.

Its a Loonie - that's all

Peace — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 15:42:42 -0700

Got a loonie?

My mother taught us - to whom much is given, much is expected.

I think we are here to make a real change in the world. Not small things, not trivial things. Why? Because we have been given so much - we have to make a huge difference in our world. And Canadians can do it.

So what can we change - if we all work together, all focus, all commit?

We can rid the world of AIDS.

Yes we can. In fact I am convinced that it is our mandate to do so. We are in the unique position of having the education, the health system, the legal system, the wealth and the freedom of choice to do so.

All that remains is the will. Do we have the will? Or are we busy, so busy making daisy chains on the beach while an assault is taking place beside us?

This is our call.

There comes a time in every generation when a grievous tyrant must be confronted and defeated. For tyranny knows no end - gives no quarter. It steals the lives of children, families and elderly. It is merciless toward the innocents.

Tyranny must be actively opposed, strategically confronted and ultimately defeated. And all tyrants can be defeated. It is only a matter of will and resources.

Our fathers and grandfathers took their stand, they made their choice. And they bought our freedom with their sacrifice.

Now the tyrant is AIDS and the question is - will we choose to take a stand?

What will it take?

Just a loonie. That's right, it will take a loonie from every man woman and child in Canada. Just a loonie apiece would pump $32 million dollars a year into medical research - and show the world that Canadians are taking this on - we are serious, we are commited. You can count on us to solve this puzzle and defeat this tyrant. We can end the threat of AIDS by 2020.

2020: Vision for an AIDS free world.

Got a loonie?

why am I here

Peace — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 09:24:24 -0700

I just discovered this Vancity blog site.... Hmmmm.... very nice but why would a financial institution put up a web site for bloggers....

Change - interesting theme considering people do not want to change, hate change and try to avoid change at all costs. Why does the credit union want me to change?

Looks like Vancity staff are the ones posting. I wonder if they do this while at work or on their own time. The truth is out there! Let's get to the bottom of it. peace